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Battle of Amami-Ōshima
| partof = | image = | image_size = | caption = An anti-aircraft gun that was mounted on the North Korean spy vessel. | date = 22 December 2001 | place = Off the coast of Amami-Ōshima, in the East China Sea | territory = | result = Japanese victory * North Korean naval trawler sunk | combatant1 = | combatant2 = | commander1 = | commander2 = | units1 = | units2 = | strength1 = 1 naval trawler | strength2 = 2–3 patrol boats 70 men | casualties1 = 15 killed 1 naval trawler sunk | casualties2 = 3 wounded 1 patrol boat damaged | casualties3 = | notes = | campaignbox = }} The , was a six-hour confrontation between the Japan Coast Guard and an armed North Korean vessel on 22 December 2001, taking place near the island of Amami Ōshima, in the East China Sea. The encounter ended in the sinking of the North Korean vessel, which the Japanese authorities later announced was determined to have been a spy craft. The encounter took place outside Japanese territorial waters, but within the exclusive economic zone, an area extending from Japanese land, within which Japan can claim exclusive rights to fishing and mineral resources. Background An unidentified ship was spotted in Japanese waters on 21 December 2001. The armed trawler was detected by a communications station in Kikaijima, Kagoshima, which was under control of the Japanese Defense Intelligence Headquarters. In 1999, another North Korean vessel encountered by the Japanese Coast Guard was claimed by Japan to have been a spy craft, though North Korea denied it. Battle Early the following morning, the ship was chased by four Japan Coast Guard vessels, who ordered it to halt, and fired 25 warning shots upon the ship when those orders were ignored. A six-hour firefight ensued, in which over 1,000 machine gun rounds were fired by both sides; the North Korean crew were said to have wielded shoulder-held rocket launchers. The North Korean trawler was meanwhile hit by a number of rounds. Several explosions not directly related to Japanese attacks rocked the ship before it was sunk. According to The Guardian, "fifteen survivors were seen clinging to a buoy in heavy seas, but the Japanese ships were ordered to ignore them because of fears that they would use force to resist capture". Two bodies were recovered, thirteen more persons were declared missing and presumed dead several days later. The Special Boarding Unit was mobilized to board the ship, but did not do so as they had to wait for official orders from the Japanese Defense Agency. The ship sank before such orders arrived. Aftermath In 2003 the trawler was raised by the Japanese to confirm her origin and intentions. Inspection of the hull determined she was of North Korean origin and most likely an infiltration and spy vessel. It was revealed that the vessel was camouflaged as a Chinese or Japanese fishing boat and that she could go , far faster than any commercial trawler. The ship had also a hidden double hatch in the stern to be used as an exit door for speedboats. After the inspections were deemed complete the hull was displayed at the Japan Coast Guard Museum Yokohama in Yokohama, where she has become a popular tourist attraction. References Citations Biography * Category:2001 in Japan Category:Anti-Korean sentiment in Japan Category:Anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea Category:Conflicts in 2001 Category:Maritime incidents in 2001 Amami-Oshima Amami-Oshima Category:Naval battles post-1945 Category:2001 in North Korea Category:Naval trawlers Category:Combat incidents Category:Japan–North Korea relations Category:December 2001 events